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The bitter taste of victory beer

With the addition of the expansion Ottawa REDBLACKS!!!!, I needed to find a new beer to associate with the new team for my CFL drinking game. So I took to Twitter, where some Rough Riders related account suggested I try Dinner Jacket O’Red IPA from Arch Brewing Co. Hey, it has an O for Ottawa and the word “red” in its name, and it comes in a black can adorned with the kind of outfit that Ottawa mascot Grand Jos would wear. And it’s brewed in Guelph, so I can get it at the LCBO–although the closest three LCBOs were all sold out. Still, I was kinda hoping to try this brew, and when Ottawa finally scored a touchdown on an extremely penalty-aided drive, I was compelled to crack one open:

Now for me, the idea of a strong red IPA is basically bad news. While I do like red beer, I much prefer the smoother taste of a pilsner or the light, citrusy flavour of a wheat beer. IPAs are just too bitter and hoppy for my liking…and this one, well, it tasted like an IPA. Mind you, it wasn’t quite the sour-grapefruit flavour of Crazy Canuck, with the red adding a bit of smokiness to balance out the hops. And at 6.3%, it’s not quite Maudite, but it certainly hits you harder than, say, Molson Canadian. I’m not drunk or anything, but I have been singing “Pretzel bun, I hope you feeeel it too!” throughout the night…

Anyways, since Calgary won big, I’ve still got a few of these left in the fridge; but the next time they play Ottawa, I’ll probably stick with Rickard’s Red or something. That won’t be until next season, mind you–I’ll be heading up to The City That Sleeps at 7:30 for the rematch in a couple weeks.

UPDATE: Despite my initial reservations, I have been drinking this every time Calgary beats Ottawa in football…which happened again last night. 😉